Prinivil is commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, as well as to improve survival following a heart attack. The drug is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, which means it prevents the action of an enzyme that is used to make blood vessels constrict. Instead, blood vessels relax, which can help lower blood pressure. Prinivil comes in tablet form and is typically taken once a day.
What Is Prinivil?
Prinivil® (lisinopril) is a prescription medicine that has been licensed to treat several conditions related to the heart and blood vessels. It is part of a class of drugs called angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, or ACE inhibitors for short.
Prinivil has also been approved as a treatment for high blood pressure in children 6 years of age and older. However, Prinivil is not a cure for high blood pressure or congestive heart failure.
(Click Prinivil Uses for more information, including possible off-label uses for the drug.)
How Does Prinivil Work?
Prinivil is part of a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors.
ACE stands for angiotensin-converting enzyme. Prinivil helps to block this enzyme, which is normally part of a reaction in the body that causes the blood vessels to narrow (constrict). By blocking this enzyme, Prinivil causes blood vessels to relax, which can lower blood pressure.
By helping blood vessels to relax, Prinivil also increases the efficiency of the heart. This means that the heart does not have to work as hard and more blood can be pumped out to the rest of the body. Both of these are helpful for a person with congestive heart failure.
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